YOUNGSTOWN Vex Fest sponsors proclaim a success

Plans for next year are in the air, since the plaza is to be reopened to traffic.
By MATT BIXENSTINE
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- An organizer of Vex Fest 2003 estimates a crowd of almost 5,000.
Fred Rafidi, owner of The Plaza Cafe, which sponsored the third annual downtown concert, said he has never seen as many people in Federal Plaza as he saw gather Sunday to hear 30 bands play over a 12-hour span.
Rafidi said adding national act Mushroomhead bolstered the turnout.
Attendance at the first two years of Vex Fest had been estimated at 1,000 in 2001 and 3,000 in 2002.
Mushroomhead took the stage shortly after midnight with eight band members -- three vocalists, two guitarists, a bassist, a keyboardist and a drummer.
"Their music was very powerful, but the crowd showed control," said Megan Vitt, co-founder of Youngstown Imagine, a nonprofit group that helped sponsor the concert.
Vitt said she and other staff volunteers noticed concert-goers came not only from greater Youngstown, but also from Cleveland and Pittsburgh to hear Mushroomhead, a Cleveland product, along with the many local bands.
Great reception
Matt Colla, drummer for Youngstown-based Via Sahara, said his and other local bands were well-received by the crowd.
"No matter where we play, Youngstown has the best fans by far," he said.
The status of next year's Vex Fest remains uncertain because Federal Plaza is set to reopen to traffic.
Rafidi said he hopes to have the concert site moved temporarily to ensure Vex Fest continues for a fourth year.
"It definitely needs to be ongoing," Vitt said. "It brought a lot of people down here."
mbixenstine@vindy.com